Gerry Cooney vs Wladimir Klitschko

Interesting matchup.

Wlad was beaten by another large left hooker named Corrie Sanders, who also happened to be 38 years old, and fighting on average maybe once per year leading up to the Klitschko fight.

Cooney was a bit taller than Wlad, something Klitschko isn't particulary accustomed to fighting. Gerry suffered a bad beating by Holmes, and two additional losses later in his career, by Spinks and Foreman. The last two however, came after years of inactivity, along with drug and alcohol abuse. The Holmes loss was a pure result of facing an all time great boxer with insufficient experience going in. Wlad is a very good fighter, but has nothing paricularly in common with Larry Holmes. Additionally, I question weather or not he's ever taken a punch from a guy who's power matches Cooney's.

Don't get me wrong, Gerry wasn't exactly a durable fighter, and in fact would likely be an underdog against Wlad, even on his best night. If Klitschko can get Cooney into the 6th or 7th round, and find a home for his jab, then Gerry is in deep sh**t. On the otherhand, if Cooney can charge out of the gate and land some bombs right on the money within the first 3 or 4 rounds, then I wouldn't bet on Wlad weathering the storm for long.

I make no convictions on who takes this one, but my instincts say Cooney by early to mid round TKO, following a few cuts and knockdowns. The losses to Ross Purity, Corrie Sanders and Lamon Brewster still sit way too vividly in my memory to think otherwise.

 

Vlad by Ko in 4

 

Definitely before 4.

 

Wlad rather easy but Cooney has a punchers chance. Cooney was completely outclassed the first time he fought a world class fighter in Holmes. He couldn't do anything against the jab. Wlad's jab is a bit slower than Holmes' but still very fast and it is more heavy. Cooney had a very weak chin, more so than Wlad. Just the fact that he barely faced any world class fighters made this less apparant. If Holmes knocks him down in 2 then Wlad can surely finish him in 2, although i think it would go on a few more rounds. Spinks and an old Foreman knocked him out early as well. Wlad had embarrassing losses but recovered from those and improved himself, whereas Cooney imploded. We're talking about prime for prime here right?

If Gerrie lands that left hook then he can take Wlad, but Wlad has learnt how to recover from being hurt so even then it's not a given.

I never understood why he didn't develop his jab more. He had the size, talent and amature background for it but it seems he fell in love with his power. In the Holmes fight, he showed very limited boxing ability. Barely commited himself to the jab and the right hand was not used all that much either. Cooney looked like an unfinished fighter in the Holmes fight. Maybe he could've become much better afterwards, like Klitschko after the Sanders fight. But that is all speculation because he didn't improve. So i will go with a jabbing, 1-2 ing from a distance Wladimir by knockout within 5 rounds. He'll do the same as Holmes except that he has deadly power.

 

wlad would do the same what Holmes did but quicker! Wlad tko 7! Wlad has improved and now he knows how to survive when hurt! Wlad has huge power and is as skilled as Holmes!

 

Cooney had some things going for him. His left to the head or body were debilitating blows. Gerry was big, and seemed to have some flexibility despite looking awkward. Not a bad jab either. What Cooney did not have going for him are speed, defense, or a right hand. His chin was average, and he seemed to be the nervous type early in fights. The nervousness might have created stamina problems for Cooney.

I think Wlad would easily outclass Cooney. Wlad was too fast, too versatile, and too technical for Gerry. I believe Wlad would end the fight, but you have to give Cooney the punchers chance in this fight because other big punchers upset Wlad. For Cooney to win, he has to left his hands go early. The question is, would he have the nerve to do it?

Speaking of Wlad, I think he has a chance to be remembered as one of the few champions who had a few years in a row of dominating performances. Boxing is an interesting sport. Every once in a while the critics give a guy they don't like his due because he's proving it in the ring. Even the harshest anti Klitschko like Pedro Fernandez and Max Kellerman have grown to appreciate Wlad's most recent performances.

 

cooney was good. he could of well ruled the roost nowadays

 

I dont think that Cooney is in Wlads league. I would give him a punchers chance and that is about it.

 

:think well to be honest did you think cooney was going to outbox holmes or foreman or spinks?

he was pure puncher there is no other way for him to win but to outfight wlad which wlad isnt natural way to do in a boxing ring...he prefers to keep his man away with is big jab and right hand and if he gets close left hook then clinch and repeat it's amazingly effective but against a guy who is just as big as you and has a far better left hook then it's up in the air.

i think if cooney could back wlad up get him against the ropes instead of lwtting wlad take the center of the ring then i would give hima big chance.

also gerry wasnt iron jawed decent but a big puncher WILL knock him out.

wlad for a 70% chance of winning and a 60% odd chance of a ko

 

Yeah, what he said.:good

 

Although I realize you're not basing your entire analysis on these two performances, I think we have to eliminate them from the picture. Cooney hadn't won a fight in nearly 3 years prior to facing Foreman, and in fact only fought maybe 3 times within 5 years, along with intermittant periods of drug and alcohol use before fighting Spinks.

One could just as easily turn around and say that a 27 year old active fighting Wlad, was Ko'd in only two rounds by a 38 year old, somewhat inactive Sanders. Wlad may have improved some since the Sanders fight, but the extent to whichhe did, is still somewhat unknown. The Brewster rematch is not an accurate measure of this, because Lamon had but one fight in 2 years prior to rematching Klitschko, and that one fight was a loss. The time for Wlad to avenge himself against Brewster was maybe 6 months after their first meeting and not 3 years later.

Cooney in his prime was ceratainly badly beaten by Holmes, but he had some good moments in that fight, and Holmes is in a higher class than Klitschko in mine and in many other's opinion. Additionally, that fight went into the championship rounds ( 13 ), a level which klitschko has never seen nor ever will ( though I don't think Cooney-Klitschko would go nearly that far. ) We also have to consider that Cooney may very conceivably have been a better fighter in 1980 than he was in 1982, given that once again, he was coming off a 13 month layoff against Holmes, and only boxing a single round against Norton in 2 years.

As I stated in an earlier post, I'm not so sure that either man has ever tasted power of the other's calibur, and neither man can be credited has having a particularly great chin. Wlad has by far the better resume, yet I don't know if many of his victoms had the physical tools to beat him as Cooney might have had. Sanders certainly made short work of Wlad with his left hook, and while I won't claim that Cooney was his clone, Gerry had at least comparable, perhaps stronger left hook, and a tad bit more height.

I originally picked Cooney to win this fight, but I'll concede and say that both men have a 50/50 chance.

 

W.K. is far more sophisticated a fighter than Cooney ever was, and if Michael Spinks could pound the stuffing out of Cooney, then just imagine what Wlad would do to him. The threat to Wlad's chin is always overstated, plus Cooney, while a powerful puncher, didn't have the handspeed of a Sanders, or the effiency of delivery, so that wouldn't be a problem. Klitschko over Cooney by a 3rd or 4th round tko with about 3 brutal knockdowns preceeding the end.

 

Wladimir would have to be very careful early because Cooney had more than enough power to put him away. If Wladimir could establish his jab very early on and keep Cooney at bay with it, he would set up his power shots and stop Cooney in the mid rounds.